News

43 people got sick in a gastrointestinal illness outbreak on the 'Silver Ray'. Among the 681 guests onboard, 38 reported being ill during the current voyage, along with five crew members, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Their main symptoms were diarrhea and abdominal cramps. The health agency listed the causative agent as unknown. The 'Silver Ray' had departed from Callao on Jan. 4, 2025, and is scheduled to arrive at Port Everglades on Jan 20. Silversea enacted heightened sanitation protocols and isolated sick guests and crew, among other measures.

The 'Sirius', actually transiting off the Norwegian coast en route from Murmansk to Port Said, poses a serious environmental threat, warns the Norwegian Shipowners' Association. Ther tanker from Putin's shadow fleet may be in poor condition and uninsured. At least five other ships from Putin's shadow fleet have passed North Cape in the past month. The ship has changed its name several times and has been registered in several countries since it was built in 2009. The cargo reported to the Vardø Maritime Traffic Center is diesel. The ship is owned by the Russian state-owned shipping company Sovcomflot, which is under sanctions from the West. This is stated in the EU's sanctions list from December. The ship is now registered in Gabon, but was previously called "SCF Surgut" and registered in Barbados. Five ships from the shadow fleet were in the Barents Sea east of Finnmark in the last weeks of 2024, among them the gas tankers "North Way", "North Mountain", "North Sky" and "North Air". All are registered in Bermuda, and all are under sanctions from the US. In addition, the Sovcomflot-owned "Christophe de Margerie" was east of Novaya Zemlya. The latest AIS transmissions of these ships are two to eight weeks old. A total of 79 ships are now on the EU blacklist. Over 60 of Sovcomflot's ships are blacklisted by the USA.

The frigates ‘Victoria’ and ‘Blas de Lezo’, as well as the patrol vessel ‘Tornado’, have been monitoring Russian ships in recent weeks during their transit in the Alboran Sea, the Gulf of Cadiz and the Atlantic coast. These maritime security tasks are carried out within the framework of the operations of presence, surveillance and deterrence (OPVD). Specifically, the ‘Tornado’ monitored the submarine ‘Novorossiysk’ in its way from the Eastern Mediterranean to northern Europe. During the fulfillment of its mission, the Spanish ship located the Russian naval unit south of the Balearic Islands. Since then, it maintained close monitoring until the submarine reached the Portuguese area of ​​responsibility. Subsequently, the frigate ‘Victoria’ went out to sea with the task of locating and monitoring the frigate ‘Golovko’ during its stay in the Alboran Sea, where it was escorting the Russian merchant ship ‘Lady Maria’. During the operation, it also sighted the Russian tanker ‘Altay’ transiting from the Eastern Mediterranean, which acts as a supply ship for Russian units in the vicinity of the Algerian bay of Oran. Finally, in front of the maritime border with Portugal, the frigate ‘Blas de Lezo’ located and monitored the Russian submarine ‘Novorossiysk’ in its transit towards the north. After fulfilling its mission, the frigate transferred the responsibility of monitoring to a French vessel. After finishing the monitoring of these Russian units, the ‘Victoria’ and ‘Blas de Lezo’ returned to their home ports in Rota and Ferrol, respectively. Meanwhile, the ‘Tornado’ continued with its maritime surveillance duties in ​​the Strait of Gibraltar and the Alboran Sea. Report with photo: https://diariodeavisos.elespanol.com/2025/01/un-barco-canario-intercepta-un-submarino-ruso-en-aguas-de-espana/

The 'Pontica' was subjected to a Port State Control in the port of Uddevalla after its arrival en route from Barranquilla on Jan 5, 2025. No fewer than 40 deficiencies were discovered during the inspections. The ship must now ensure that the deficiencies are rectified. The Swedish Transport Agency will then carry out a new inspection before it can be allowed to leave Uddevalla again. It remained stationary as of Jan 16. Report with photo: https://www.sjofartstidningen.se/tva-fartyg-halls-kvar-i-uddevalla/

On Jan 14 the "Tromp", which is currently the flagship of NATO Task Force 1, was waiting at the exit of the Kadetrinne off Rügen, while carrying out maritime surveillance for the NATO, to monitor the Russian submarine "Novorossiysk", which had previously been stationed in Tartus, on its way into the Baltic sea, one month after the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, with the evacuation of Russian forces from Syria progressing. The "Kilo" class submarine has returned to the Baltic Sea after a trip of 4200 nautical miles. The "Novorossiysk" is the last submarine of the Black Sea Fleet to be withdrawn from the Mediterranean. The submarine, with the registration B261, has only been in service with the Russian Navy for ten years. It can be armed with torpedoes and cruise missiles. On its way to the Baltic Sea, the "Novorossiysk" was escorted by the frigate "Boikiy" of the Baltic Fleet. What will happen to the boat now is unclear. In the Baltic Sea, it will probably be attached to the Baltic Fleet together with its sister boat "Krasnodar". The "Krasnodar", like the "Novorossiysk", was in the Mediterranean when Russia's attack on Ukraine began on Feb 24, 2022. Both submarines were unable to return to the Black Sea through the Bosporus, as Turkey generally prohibits foreign warships from passing through during a war in the Black Sea. The "Novorossiysk" had left Tartus in early December and was sighted in the Strait of Gibraltar on Jan2. It then surfaced along the coast of Portugal and headed north, shadowed by the Spanish and Portuguese navies. The boat then sailed through the English Channel and the North Sea at a speed of eight to ten knots. Units of the British and Dutch navies had pursued the convoy. On Jan 13, the "Novorossiysk" turned into the Baltic Sea near Skagen and passed the Great Belt and Fehmarn Belt on Jan 14. The "Novorossiysk" is the second Russian submarine that NATO units shadowed in Danish waters and the Fehmarn Belt in January. On Jan 9, the submarine "Mozhaisk" returned to the Baltic Sea after a detour to the Kattegat. The return of material from Syria will continue in the coming months. The landing ship "Aleksandr Shabalin" is also in use. Together with two cargo ships, the Russian army's extensive military goods are to be evacuated from the port of Tartus. Until the fall of the Assad regime, Tartus was the only Russian naval base in the Mediterranean. As a replacement, Russia is now trying to get a port on the North African coast in Libya or Algeria. As an alternative, the Russian Navy has been given an anchorage not far from the Algerian port of Oran, where the naval tanker “Yelyna” has been cruising for weeks. The evacuation of Russian units from the Mediterranean is interpreted by military experts as a sign of Russia's weakness, as it is losing its important naval capabilities in the region. Now the Russian units still operating in the Mediterranean must be supplied from the Baltic Sea.